


Lock

by Capucine



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Brothers, Gen, History-ish Things, Non-Consensual Haircuts, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-03 17:19:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5299847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capucine/pseuds/Capucine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Germany has been ordered to cut his brothers' hair--Saxony and Hesse. He doesn't realize that this is a big deal--or maybe he does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lock

The day Germany had brought the shears had been one of tension.

Obviously, he'd expected Saxony to be the one who put up a fight ('I've had my hair this way for years, fuck you!' 'It's not professional, and we need to present a united front--')

But he'd gathered his hair, long, gold, in one fist and made a sort of expression that said, 'Fine. Cut it. I'll make someone suffer for it.' It wasn't clear on who the someone was, however.

His hair was...Saxony's hair was his most important feature, to him. Germany didn't understand how he was giving it up so easily. Yes, his eyes were full of hate, and his hand clenching his hair was practically white knuckled, but he was letting him.

Germany should have just accepted it. Should have taken the easy win. But he found himself saying, “Why?”

Saxony gave him a tight-lipped look, like he wasn't going to answer, like 'isn't it enough you're making me do it?' but spat, “Because he doesn't deserve to suffer alone.”

“Who?” But Germany could guess who, of course. Hesse was the only other one with such long hair, and with such an attachment to it, even if he didn't take the greatest care of it. It took a commitment to keep hair that long, after all.

But Germany hadn't cut his hair yet.

“Don't fuck with me, just get it over with,” Saxony said in a clipped tone, like he would punch Germany if he continued in the lie.

It wasn't a lie, though. Germany frowned, wanting to ask more questions, but he wisely took advantage of Saxony's apparent submission and clipped away the hair to an appropriate length.

And Saxony threw the strands to the ground, giving Germany a stony glare, and stalked off to another part of the house.

Normally, Germany was not much of a spy, but...he could operate under the pretension that he still needed to cut Hesse's hair. Because if he'd misunderstood Saxony, that was what he needed to do anyhow.

So he found the pair, and he stood silently in the doorway.

Hesse had clearly already been sheared; his hair was even shorter than Germany had made Saxony's. His eyes, however, focused intently on his blade, an ancient thing that had no use on the battlefield anymore, but was brilliantly polished.

And still being polished, Germany realized.

“Hesse,” Saxony said, and waited a moment. Then, when he didn't get a response, he sighed and said, “Brother.”

Hesse's eyes flicked up for a moment, and Germany could see the almost silvery line of his scar, across the right eye, in the light from the window. Then he began polishing more thoroughly, somehow.

Saxony gave a sort of sigh-groan. “It's already done. There's nothing you can do.”

Hesse's mouth tightened.

“Brother, you can't undo it. And your sword isn't going to fix that.”

“I can be ready,” came the quiet mumble. Germany could see Hesse's hand tighten, white-knuckled around the handle of the sword, “I'm not weak. I'm not weak. I'll be ready.”

This was not how Hesse talked, and Germany found himself staring. 

Hesse was the most smiling, talkative one of out them. If any of them could be described as easygoing, it was him.

He could see Saxony sigh more than he could hear it. “We've survived many centuries. We'll make it. If anyone's not going to make it, it'll be...” His eyes suddenly spotted Germany, and he glared.

Hesse didn't look up, but he polished harder.

Germany swallowed, and he couldn't feel guilty, because he was helping them, he was making things _better_ , why didn't they see that?

But he couldn't say so, and simply left, under Saxony's accusing stare.

**Author's Note:**

> My thought is that Hesse's loss of control in invasions in the 19th century is an issue for him, and control was asserted through his hair being cut. He takes it as a symbol of his relative freedom. It's a little similar for Saxony.


End file.
